Ammonia leak tackled by firefighters

A major ammonia leak at a Balclutha freezing works early this morning was contained without any injuries, a Fire Service spokesman said today.

Balclutha chief fire officer Peter Soper said a nightwatchman at the PPCS Finegand plant discovered the leak around 1am and alerted the fire brigade.
Four appliances and around 30 firefighters attended, the cause of which was still being investigated.

Mr Soper said between three to five tonnes of ammonia, used in the plant as a refrigerant, was lost -- "about a quarter of their capacity''.

"It's a very toxic gas, it'll kill people very rapidly. But it dissolves in water, so we put up some water screens and let it dissolve with the water and then it gets taken away into their treatment system,'' Mr Soper said.

Ammonia is used in the refrigeration process. The chemical is corrosive and can cause burns when touched or when vapours are inhaled.

A PPCS spokeswoman said production at the Finegand plant would be delayed this morning while further checks were carried out.

- NZPA